Under the moonlight

Huang Meng didn't know why she was so excited. It was as if something was chasing her from behind. She walked quickly to the elevator door of the apartment building before stopping and breathing heavily.

"Why are you running? What are you afraid of? What's there to be afraid of? Really, it's just Zhao Meng! Is he going to eat you or what?" Huang Meng muttered to herself as she watched the elevator descend.

"But what did he mean by what he just said?" Although she kept telling herself, Zhao Meng's words kept echoing in her ears like a wind-up music box.

"Ding~" Huang Meng looked at the elevator with its doors open, and only realized what was happening when it was about to close. She quickly crawled inside.

She stood in the elevator, somewhat annoyed. It was impossible for her to be completely at ease. After all, he was the one who had appeared in her dreams every night, and now he was standing right in front of her. How could she possibly remain truly calm and composed?

Huang Meng pushed open the door dejectedly. "Oh, it's so late. Where have you been?"

Xiao Yun was watching TV with a face mask on when she heard the door open. She saw Huang Meng come in looking dejected, like a wilted eggplant.

"What's wrong? Did the boss scold you?" Huang Guodong came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of fruit and asked with concern when he saw his daughter looking listless.

"It's okay, I'm fine, I'm just..."

Huang Meng looked up at the two elders, who were staring at her with curiosity. After a moment's thought, she suddenly asked, "I'm just curious, why didn't you let me continue my studies in X City? Do you know how much that affected me? I consider my best friends to be from middle school. I had just found them when you made me go back to my hometown to study, and I gradually lost contact with them. Do you know that ever since then, I have never been able to meet friends like them again?"

"And do you know, although I only studied in middle school in X city for a year, that year is something I can never get back. Every time I think about that year, I feel especially warm, cozy, and comfortable. Moreover, I met many people that year. They all left a deep impression on me. Each one of them still lives vividly in my heart, but I can't touch them anymore. Even if I had the chance to contact them now, I have left the best of them and myself in the past. I have no chance to participate in their growth, nor the chance to share each other's lives, because they will always belong to my past."

Huang Meng almost vented her feelings, pouring out what she had kept bottled up for years. Looking at the stunned elderly couple, she felt a pang of guilt and quickly said, "Well, I was just venting. If you're... if you're unhappy, then..."

"Daughter, did you run into someone or something? Tell Mom." Before Huang Meng could finish speaking, her mother ripped off her face mask, walked up to Huang Meng, and gently took her hand.

"Well, it's nothing. I just wanted to tell you that when I was in middle school in X city, I felt pretty good there, quite comfortable, and I didn't want to come back." Huang Meng's eyes gradually reddened as she looked at Xiao Yun's concerned gaze.

"Sigh, I knew it. It's all Dad's fault. He was too arbitrary back then and didn't consider your feelings." Huang Guodong put the fruit plate on the coffee table, sighed, and plopped down on the floor.

"Oh, no, it's nothing. I just ran into some old classmates and it made me nostalgic. I don't blame you guys. If you hadn't made the quick decision to send me back, my studies wouldn't have improved so much. Right? It's a mixed bag!"

Seeing that her sudden outburst had caused both of them to feel down, Huang Meng felt a little embarrassed. It seemed that she still hadn't learned how to be a good adult who could control her emotions.

After finally appeasing the two elders, Huang Meng went into her room, gently closed the door, and sighed softly against it. She looked at the little golden pig she had placed on her desk, a slight smile playing on her lips. It was good that they were still in the city that held so many beautiful memories for her.

After washing up, Huang Meng realized her phone was out of battery. She quickly plugged it in and opened WeChat to find a barrage of messages from Xu Ao.

She read through the messages one by one until she saw the last one, a WeChat message from two minutes ago: "I saw your room light is on, you should be home safely. Remember to reply to my WeChat message. No need to read it, I'm already back at work. I've been quite busy with some work lately."

Huang Meng read that sentence over and over again before finally confirming that Xu Ao had come to see her, just now!

She quickly got out of bed and drew back the curtains, but it was already pitch black downstairs. She immediately replied to Xu Ao's WeChat message.

"My phone died. I just saw the message. How long have you been waiting downstairs at my place?"

"I couldn't reach you. I just arrived and was about to go upstairs when I saw your room light was on, so I left." Xu Ao's message came quickly.

"Okay, why don't you come up here? Hehe~" Huang Meng thought for a moment and then went back.

"Go up? How are you going to explain this?" Huang Meng stared at his WeChat message for a long time. Explain? She wasn't sure if she was misinterpreting it, but she felt that Xu Ao's words had a hidden meaning.

"Okay, you go ahead and do your work. I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight." After sending the message, Huang Meng covered her phone and buried herself in her pillow. Sigh, why did she have to appear beside me at this time of year?

Xu Ao looked at the message on his phone, quickly replied with "Goodnight," and then threw the phone onto his desk.

Huang Meng's phone was off, and he couldn't reach her. It was almost 9:30, and he thought that he wouldn't be worried if she was at home, so he took a taxi to her apartment complex.

He remembered that Huang Meng had told him her apartment building number. At the time, he didn't think much of it and just wanted to make sure she was safe at home. Even if it was abrupt, he could only explain later.

But he didn't expect to hear Huang Meng's heartfelt words outside the door. Her home was in an old-style community, probably a house allocated by her former work unit, and the soundproofing was not good. However, perhaps Huang Meng herself did not realize how much effort she put into saying those words.

What happened during that time that made it so unforgettable? Or was there someone from that time that she could never forget?

Xu Ao thought of Zhao Meng. Could it be because of him? Because of him, someone from the past?